The Post letters to the editor: February 6
Rules not clear
What are the rules around bus stops and scooters/bicycles on dedicated bicycle lanes? Does anyone know?
The bus stop opposite Wellington Hospital is a busy one and there were six of us getting on a bus when a man on a scooter drove through at speed and berated us for being there. Surely he should have stopped and let us board. Would he have done the same if it was a school bus? Clarification is needed.
Marjorie Doole, Waikanae
Clean out
Why not make a simple start to fixing Wellington’s water woes? Have the city councillors instruct the chief executive to disestablish Wellington Water. Subsequently, new staff (including a new water chief executive) can be appointed. City councillors also need to ensure that (as much as New Zealand law allows) it is they (and not the WCC chief executive) who give the final approval to the most senior appointments.
The resulting mix of staff previously employed by Wellington Water and an infusion of “new” staff should help sluice out the Augean stables and lead to improvements in the new company’s staff culture and its work performance.
Wayne Nicol, Lyall Bay
Passion projects
Just wondering if one of Tory Whanau’s “passion” projects is the very expensive upgrading of Ellice St in Mount Victoria (Axe swings to fund pipes, February 1). Already adequate pavements, kerbing and road have been upgraded to motorway standards, no doubt costing some millions.
I was told by the council that this money came from a different “pot” than the water works. But who decides these priorities? Or does a councillor live in Ellice St?
Helen Wilson, Mount Victoria
Stay put
Thomas Manch asks if New Zealand wants to be Australia's constable (February 1), while Australia is America's sheriff? The worry with this is, if America is deluded enough to re-elect Trump (and that is a real possibility), do we want to be locked in with whatever madness Trump is likely to get up to?
I think we really need to put any decisions on hold until after America has had their next election.
Jenny Gigg, Titahi Bay
Listen up
In an excellent article Josie Pagani points out that people debating the Treaty of Waitangi are “talking past each other” – one about specific grievances, the other about universal principle-based solutions – as when one person says “my father died” and the other replies “well, we all die one day” (How to stop talking past each other, February 2).
It is significant that both people have said something true and relevant and worth hearing. Too many of us feel personally dismissed when the other person says anything other than “Yes, you’re right!” An immature habit we need to jettison.
People who disagree need to meet and experience eye contact while breathing the same air, maybe break bread, be curious about each other and each other’s views. The mutual gift of attentiveness can have a healing effect that produces agreement or at least soothes the disagreement. It’s funny how much we talk about listening.
Gavan O’Farrell, Naenae
Acronym games
I think AUKUS should be renamed USUKA. Not only would this correctly list the correct power balance of the member countries it would also accurately describe any other country that expressed interest in joining Pillar 2.
Christine Alexander, Berhampore
Take ownership
The words our elected councillors use in the current water crisis give us insight to the collective attitudes in council chambers, and the level of understanding of the heart of the issue. Time and again we hear from councillors how they have ‘given’ Wellington Water more money, and yet are unhappy with the results.
Let’s be clear, these are council’s poor performing assets. It’s certainly not a gift to increase investment in them, or indeed something Wellington Water should be grateful for. To suggest otherwise is simply a blatant attempt to abdicate any responsibility, and should ring alarm bells for us all.
Until councillors truly take ownership of the issue and show ongoing leadership and long-term commitment to improve the situation we will not have meaningful change. Sure we all want better water services and to know that our rates are being spent wisely, but at the same time we can’t keep funding the bare-minimum lawnmower engine and complain when we don’t get Rolls Royce results.
Chris Keeping, Newlands
Back to bite
I write in support of Brian Easton (Letters, February 3) to add that economists recognised that capital goods, such as water infrastructure, would ultimately read renewal. In order to provide for this depreciation came into being.
The Local Government Act 2002 granted councils the power of "general incompetence" [LGA s 12 (2) (a)] which far too many councils freely exercised.
Far too many councils treat depreciation as a non-cash item and so do not put aside monies (invest these monies at arms length) to renew infrastructure. As an accountant pointed out to me, failure to do so results in a overly large cash item.
In short comes back to bite you in the proverbial.
John Bent, Palmerston North
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